John Barrasso | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Official portrait, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senate Majority Whip | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader | John Thune | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Dick Durbin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| United States Senator fromWyoming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office June 22, 2007 Serving with Cynthia Lummis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Craig L. Thomas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theWyoming Senate from the27th district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 2003 – June 22, 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Bruce Hinchey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Bill Landen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | John Anthony Barrasso III (1952-07-21)July 21, 1952 (age 73) Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Linda Nix (divorced) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Georgetown University (BS,MD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Senate website Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Anthony Barrasso III (/bəˈrɑːsoʊ/bə-RAH-soh; born July 21, 1952) is an American physician and politician serving as theseniorUnited States senator fromWyoming, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of theRepublican Party, he served in theWyoming State Senate from 2003 to 2007. In 2025, he becameSenate majority whip, the second-ranking Senate Republican.
Born and raised inReading, Pennsylvania, Barrasso graduated fromGeorgetown University, where he received hisB.S. andM.D. He conducted hismedical residency atYale University before moving to Wyoming and beginning a privateorthopedics practice inCasper. Barrasso was active in various medical societies and associations.
Barrasso first ran for U.S. Senate in1996, narrowly losing the Republican primary toMike Enzi. In 2002, he was elected to the State Senate, where he stayed until his appointment to the U.S. Senate after the 2007 death ofCraig L. Thomas. He was elected to finish Thomas's term in2008 and won his first full term in2012. In 2018, Barrasso was selected as chair of theSenate Republican Conference. He has been the dean ofWyoming's congressional delegation since 2021, when Enzi retired from the Senate.
Barrasso was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, on July 21, 1952,[1] the son of Louise M. (née DeCisco) and John Anthony Barrasso Jr.[2] Barrasso's father was a cement finisher who had a ninth-grade education.[3] Barrasso is a third-generationItalian-American with paternal grandparents fromCarife, Campania and maternal grandparents fromVasto, Abruzzo.[4][5]
Barrasso is a graduate of the formerCentral Catholic High School, which later merged withHoly Name High School to formBerks Catholic High School.[6] He attendedRensselaer Polytechnic Institute for two years and joined thePhi Kappa Tau fraternity.[7] Barrasso graduatedPhi Beta Kappa[8] from Georgetown in 1974 with aBachelor of Science degree inbiology.[9] He received hisM.D. degree from theGeorgetown University School of Medicine in 1978 and conducted hisresidency atYale Medical School inNew Haven, Connecticut.[1]
In 1983, after completing his residency at Yale, Barrasso moved to Wyoming with his then-wife, Linda Nix.[3] He joined a private orthopedic practice inCasper and for a time was theWyoming Medical Center's chief of staff.[3] Barrasso was a board-certifiedorthopedic surgeon in private practice in Casper from 1983 to 2007.[10][11][better source needed] He has served as president of the Wyoming Medical Society.[12] Barrasso was also arodeo physician for theProfessional Rodeo Cowboys Association[13] (and a member of the "Cowboy Joe Club") and volunteered as a team physician forCasper College and several local high schools.[10][better source needed]
Barrasso ran for the Republican nomination for theU.S. Senate in1996 for the seat being vacated by RepublicanAlan K. Simpson, losing narrowly toState SenatorMike Enzi, 32% to 30%, in a nine-candidate election.[14] Enzi garnered support due to his pro-life stance, while Barrasso—who had been expected to win the primary—identified as pro-choice at the time.[3][15]
Barrasso was elected to theWyoming Senate unopposed in 2002[16] and reelected unopposed in 2006. He representedWyoming's 27th Senate District, including part of Casper.[17] During his State Senate tenure, he chaired the Transportation and Highways Committee.[18]
On June 22, 2007, GovernorDave Freudenthal appointed Barrasso to replace Senator Craig L. Thomas, who had died in office earlier that month. Under state law, Freudenthal was able to consider only three individuals chosen by the Republican State Central Committee because the seat was vacated by a Republican. The others were former State TreasurerCynthia Lummis ofCheyenne, and former Republican state chairman and Justice Department attorneyTom Sansonetti.[19]
Barrasso won the Republican nomination for the balance of Thomas's third term. He then won the special election in a landslide, defeating Democratic nominee Nick Carter with 73% of the vote.[20]
Barrasso ran for reelection to a first full term in 2012. He faced two opponents for the Republican nomination, which he won with 90% of the vote.[21] In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Tim Chestnut with 76% of the vote.[22]
Barrasso faced Dave Dodson and four other challengers in the 2018 Republican primary; he won the primary with 65% of the vote.[23] Barrasso defeated DemocratGary Trauner and Libertarian Joseph Porambo in the general election, receiving 67% of the vote.[24]
In the primary, Barrasso faced Casper Executive Reid Rasner, who attacked Barrasso for his support of theForeign Intelligence Surveillance Act, among other issues.[25] Barrasso defeated Rasner, 67.9% to 24.5%. He won the general election against Democratic nominee Scott Morrow with 75.1% of the vote.[26]
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At the time of his appointment to the U.S. Senate in 2007, Barrasso was quoted as saying on his application: "I believe inlimited government, lower taxes, less spending, traditional family values, local control and a strong national defense"; he also said that he had "voted forprayer in schools, againstgay marriage and [had] sponsored legislation to protect thesanctity of life".[27]
In 2018, Barrasso was selected as chair of theSenate Republican Conference.[28] In 2024, he declined to run for Senate Republican leader and instead announced that he would run forRepublican Whip.[29]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Barrasso voted against theAmerican Rescue Plan Act of 2021 but for thePPP Extension Act and theCOVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.[30][31][32]
Starting in the119th Congress, he is the Senate whip of the Republican Party.
When Barrasso ran for the 1996 Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, he presented himself as a supporter ofabortion rights.[35][3] Following his loss in 1996, Barrasso's position on abortion (and on other issues) shifted in a conservative direction.[3]
During his tenure in theWyoming Legislature, Barrasso sponsored an unsuccessful bill to treat the killing of a pregnant woman as a double homicide.[3] He has voted to prohibit federal funding for abortion.[36]
Barrasso co-sponsored the "Thin Blue Line Act", which would have required thedeath penalty for anyone convicted of killing a first responder.[37]
In April 2013, Barrasso was one of 46 senators to vote against a bill that would have expandedbackground checks for all gun buyers. He voted with 40 Republicans and five Democrats to stop the bill.[38]
Barrasso voted against theAffordable Care Act (Obamacare) in December 2009,[39] and against theHealth Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.[40] He was part of a group of 13 senators that drafted theSenate version of theAmerican Health Care Act of 2017, an Obamacare repeal bill that failed to pass.[41][42][43][44]
When asked in 2014 whether human activity contributes to climate change, Barrasso denied the existence of thescientific consensus on climate change, saying that "the role human activity plays is not known."[45][46] In 2021, he admitted, "We believe that mankind is certainly contributing" to climate change.[47]
Barrasso was a leading opponent of PresidentBarack Obama's climate change policies.[48]
Barrasso opposed theCentral Intelligence Agency's creation of its Center on Climate Change and National Security in 2009.[49] In 2011, he introduced a bill that would prevent theEnvironmental Protection Agency from limiting carbon dioxide emissions.[50]
Barrasso and SenatorsMike Enzi andPat Roberts introduced a bill to remove tax credits for electric cars.[51]
According toOpenSecrets, as of 2017, Barrasso had received over $585,000 from the oil and gas industry since 2012.[52]
In 2019, Barrasso inaccurately claimed that "livestock will be banned" as a result of theGreen New Deal, and said we needed to "say goodbye to dairy, to beef, to family farms, to ranches. American favorites like cheeseburgers and milkshake would become a thing of the past."[53]
In September 2020, Barrasso supported a measure to dramatically limit the use ofhydrofluorocarbons used in refrigerants and other applications that have contributed to global warming.[54]
In November 2022, Barrasso criticized China's "developing country advantage" in international climate agreements, arguing that China is given unfair privileges in climate agreements that do not reflect its economic growth.[55]
In November 2024, after Trump nominated fracking magnateChris Wright forSecretary of Energy, Barrasso described Wright as an "energy innovator".[56]
In July 2024, Barrasso andJoe Manchin introduced S. 4753, theEnergy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, aiming to speed the permitting process for energy infrastructure and mineral development.[57][58] The bill would affect bothfossil fuel andelectric power transmission projects.[59]
Barrasso opposed theFIRST STEP Act, a bill that sought to reform the federal prison system. The bill passed 87–12 on December 18, 2018.[60]
Barrasso opposed the Russian-backedNord Stream 2—a pipeline to delivernatural gas from Russia to Germany.Bloomberg News reported, "Congress brought forward bills authorizing the administration to levy sanctions against a consortium of five European energy companies that have partnered with [Russia's main gas company]Gazprom; at least one bill, sponsored by Republican Senator John Barrasso, would make them mandatory."[61] In May 2022, during theRusso-Ukrainian War, Barrasso visitedKyiv and met with Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy as a part of a U.S. Senate delegation to show support to Ukraine.[62] The delegation also visited Finland to meet with PresidentSauli Niinistö and Prime MinisterSanna Marin to express support for Finland's application to joinNATO.[63]
In July 2025, Barrasso voted against two motions made by SenatorBernie Sanders to block arms sales to Israel.[64][65][66]
After it was revealed in November 2018 that Trump had business dealings with Russia while a candidate in the 2016 election, Barrasso said, "The president is an international businessman; I’m not surprised he was doing international business." Asked whether Trump should have disclosed those business ties during the campaign, Barrasso said, "There were so many things involved in the 2016 campaign, it’s hard to point to what one thing influenced voters."[67][68] Trump joined Barrasso on Thanksgiving 2019 in a surprise visit to American troops stationed at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. At the time, approximately 370 Wyoming National Guard soldiers were deployed in Europe and the Middle East, the most since 2009.[69]
In December 2019, Barrasso appeared to promote SenatorJohn Kennedy's views supporting thediscredited conspiracy theory of Ukrainian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[70]
In February 2021, Barrasso opposed thesecond impeachment of Donald Trump, calling it a "partisan crusade."[71] On February 13, 2021, Barrasso voted to acquit Trump of inciting the2021 United States Capitol attack.[72] On May 28, 2021, Barrasso voted against creating theJanuary 6 commission.[73] In November 2021, Barrasso refused to condemn Trump for defending January 6 rioters who called forPence's death.[74]
Barrasso was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.[75]
Barrasso has three children. He is divorced from Linda Nix.[76][77] On August 11, 2007, during Cheyenne's annualRace for the Cure, Barrasso and Bobbi Brown, herself a breast cancer survivor and at the time the director of Barrasso's state senate offices, announced their engagement. Brown then resigned from her position in Barrasso's state senate offices.[78] They were married on January 1, 2008, inThermopolis.[79] Brown died of brain cancer on January 25, 2024.[80] She was known for being an advocate for mental health and suicide prevention.[81]
Barrasso is a member of the board of directors ofPresidential Classroom, and a member of the CasperChamber of Commerce.[82] He is as a member of thePresbyterian Church.[83]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Barrasso (incumbent) | 183,063 | 73.35% | +3.37% | |
| Democratic | Nick Carter | 66,202 | 26.53% | −3.33% | |
| None | Write-ins | 293 | 0.12% | ||
| Majority | 116,861 | 46.83% | +6.70% | ||
| Turnout | 249,558 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Barrasso (incumbent) | 73,516 | 89.9 | |
| Republican | Thomas Bleming | 5,080 | 6.2 | |
| Republican | Emmett Mavy | 2,873 | 3.5 | |
| Republican | Write-in | 279 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 81,748 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Barrasso (incumbent) | 185,250 | 75.66% | +2.31% | |
| Democratic | Tim Chesnut | 53,019 | 21.65% | −4.88% | |
| Wyoming Country | Joel Otto | 6,176 | 2.52% | N/A | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 417 | 0.17% | +0.05% | |
| Total votes | 244,862 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Barrasso (incumbent) | 74,292 | 64.76% | |
| Republican | Dave Dodson | 32,647 | 28.46% | |
| Republican | John Holtz | 2,981 | 2.60% | |
| Republican | Charlie Hardy(withdrawn) | 2,377 | 2.07% | |
| Republican | Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente | 1,280 | 1.16% | |
| Republican | Anthony Van Risseghem | 870 | 0.7% | |
| Write-in | 267 | 0.23% | ||
| Total votes | 114,714 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Barrasso (incumbent) | 136,210 | 66.96% | −8.70% | |
| Democratic | Gary Trauner | 61,227 | 30.10% | +8.45% | |
| Libertarian | Joseph Porambo | 5,658 | 2.78% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 325 | 0.16% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 203,420 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Barrasso (incumbent) | 70,494 | 67.92% | |
| Republican | Reid Rasner | 25,427 | 24.50% | |
| Republican | John Holtz | 7,868 | 7.58% | |
| Total votes | 103,789 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Barrasso (incumbent) | 198,418 | 75.11% | +8.15% | |
| Democratic | Scott Morrow | 63,727 | 24.12% | −5.98% | |
| Write-in | 2,017 | 0.76% | +0.60% | ||
| Total votes | 264,162 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromWyoming (Class 1) 2008,2012,2018,2024 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | Vice Chair of the Senate Republican Conference 2010–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Republican Policy Committee 2012–2019 | |
| Chair of the Senate Republican Conference 2025–present | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Senate Republican Whip 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Wyoming 2007–present Served alongside:Mike Enzi,Cynthia Lummis | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Indian Affairs Committee 2009–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Environment Committee 2017–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Energy Committee 2021–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Senate Majority Whip 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Senate Minority Leader | Order of precedence of the United States as Senate Majority Whip | Succeeded byas Senate Minority Whip |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 18th | Succeeded by |
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